A private lunar lander launched from the US this morning has suffered an 'anomaly' – as experts try to solve the problem.
The Peregrine-1 mission – which lifted off on a new Vulcan rocket at 7.18am UK time – aims to become the first US spacecraft scheduled to land on the moon since Apollo 17 in 1972. It appears to be launching into space as planned.
But the US company Astrobotic, which is overseeing the launch, said an “anomaly” had occurred since then.
“After successfully separating from United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan rocket, Astrobotic’s Peregrine lunar lander began receiving telemetry via the NASA Deep Space Network,” they said.
“The spacecraft's built-in avionics systems, including the command module and core data processing, as well as the thermal, propulsion and power controllers, all function and operate as expected.
“Following the successful activation of the propulsion systems, Peregrine has entered a safe operational state.
“Unfortunately, an anomaly then occurred, preventing Astrobotic from achieving a stable direction to direct the sun. The team is responding in real time as the situation evolves and will provide updates as more data is acquired and analyzed.”
NASA Astrobotic, a space logistics start-up, paid just $108m (£85m) to transport five scientific instruments to the moon, a fraction of the cost of launching its own mission.
The robotic lander, about the size of a garden shed, also carried the remains of several Star Trek team members and the DNA of former US President John F. Kennedy.
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